PERIODS IN THE HISTORY OF THE ISRAELITE PEOPLE

Overview

At first glance, the Bible seems to be a collection of books which tell the story of
the world form Creation right through to the Second Coming of Jesus. However, more
cautious reading shows that the Bible writers told their story to make certain important
points about God and mankind. Consequently, they underlined important events and
periods that the writers might not mention. This chapter will explore the different periods
in the life of Israelite people on their journey and conquest of the Promise Land. This
chapter will help the students to see the whole picture along with all its parts.

Objectives

At the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

• Understand Israelite’s conquest on the Promise Land

• Determine the periods and the important events happened in the life of Israelite
people
• Appreciate God’s intervention in the affairs of human history and in their everyday
encounter with God
• Analyze the critical moment in the life of Israelite people and how their
experiences change their perception about God.

Discussion
Pre-Settlement Period (1250-1200 BCE)

This period covers the preparation of the Israelite people as they start their journey
to the promise land. It covers the stories of Primeval, Patriarchal and the rest of the first
five books of the bible. After setting the scene of the creation (primeval) of the world
and mankind in the opening chapters of Genesis, the bible begins the history of the
people of Israel with stories of the “Fathers” or often called as Patriarchs- meaning “first
or earliest fathers”. The stories of the Fathers are arranged in order according to family
relationships. Abraham and Sarah’s son, Isaac, who later had two sons by Rebekah. Of
these two sons, Esau and Jacob, God chose Jacob despite Jacob’s less than ideal
character. Jacob gave his sons by Leah and Rachel names which later would be
identified with various tribes of the people of Israel. One of Jacob sons, Joseph, had two
sons whose names would also be carried by later tribes. Through Joseph, Jacob’s clan
entered Egypt, not to leave until Moses led them back to Palestine. Through Moses, the
Hebrews escape the Egypt in the significant parting of the Red Sea. This exodus from
slavery signaled a long journey to the Promised Land. After departing from the bondage
from Egypt, they became a new people called Israel. In a mountain called Sinai, God
gave Moses the Ten Commandments which serves as a foundation of their covenant
between Him and His people.

The succeeding books of the Torah or the Pentateuch narrates the giving of
instructions on how Israelites should keep their side of the covenant and recounts their
forty-years of wandering in the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. On their
way to the Promised Land, their religious rites centered on the Dwelling, a portable shrine
where Moses spoke with God, and they carried with them the Ark of the Covenant which
must be kept in a specific tent as instructed by the Torah.

Settlement Period (1200-586 BCE)

After forty-years of wandering in the wilderness, Moses died. Through his successor
named Joshua, he led the Israelite people in the conquest of Canaan and reached the
Promised Land. Joshua is one of the twelve spies of Israel sent by Moses to explore the
land of Canaan. Just as the Red Sea parted at the beginning of Israel’s freedom from
Egypt, so the crossing of the Jordan marks their entry into the Promised Land (Joshua 3:1-
17).

Settlement period is divided into two sub-divisions: Pre- Monarchy and Monarchy.

Pre- Monarchy

Through the leadership of Joshua, they were able to expand and capture other
lands. After these preliminary conquests, Joshua set about dividing the land of Canaan
among the tribes. At the age of one hundred ten years, due to old and well advanced
in years, Joshua reached his end.

Because of the frequent apostasy, Israelite people became unfaithful and

disobedient to God and He delivered them into the hands of their enemies. Hardship
brought on as a punishment from God, crying out to the Lord for rescue. Likewise, military
threat arose, the people looked to God to raise up someone to lead one or more of the
tribes against the invader. Because of these, God sent military leaders called “judges” to
aid an to relieve his people in time of external danger. Whenever they rebelled against
God, they were oppressed by pagan nations; when they repented, he raised up judges
to deliver them.

This pre-monarchial time in the life of Israelite people is theocratic in nature, they
only worship God and they considered Him as their King.

Monarchy

King Saul

Saul, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, was the first king of all of Israel. He was
chosen to unite the tribes and provide protection and guidance to the nation. According
to the biblical account found mainly in I Samuel, Saul was chosen king both by the judge
Samuel and by public acclamation. In the first book of Samuel, God spoke to Samuel,
“About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him
ruler over my people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. I have
looked on my people, for their cry has reached me” (1 Samuel 9:16).

In order to understand how and why Saul became king, it is important to

understand the state of Israelite politics during that period. The Israelites were a nation
united by history, language, and religion, but not, at that stage, by politics. The tribes of
Israel each lived autonomously in their own region of the land, with the priestly tribe of
Levi living dispersed amongst the others and seeing to their religious matters. There was
no central authority, and the tribes were, politically, left to their own devices.

Having conquered the land of Israel, the Israelites lived there, although not
peacefully. They were periodically attacked by various Canaanite tribes still living in the
land, as well as neighbors like the Moabites and Ammonites. Around 1175 BCE, a
Hellenistic people called the Philistines established themselves on the Mediterranean
coast and often came into conflict with their neighbors, including the Israelites.

Samuel, as divinely appointed judge, provided spiritual and practical guidance

to all who came to him and settled disputes. As he began to grow old, it was obvious
that when he died the nation would be left with absolutely no central figure. Faced with
this prospect, as well as a Philistine threat, a group of elders approached Samuel and
asked him to do the unthinkable: appoint a permanent king over the whole nation of
Israel.

At first, Saul was successful. He, along with his son Jonathan, led the Israelite armies
to defeat the Philistines, as well as most of the Israelites' other traditional foes. Saul
established a court, advisors, and the rest of the trappings of power. Israel was secure
and prosperous. Saul, however, began to overstep his bounds. Leading a raid on the tribe
known as the Amalekites, Saul transgressed Divine law. Because of this, God had
withdrawn the mantle of kingship from Saul. Saul was, of course, still king in fact; politically,
and in the minds of people, Saul was the ruler. However, he no longer had God's blessing
or guidance in his rule.

The Rise of David

 After Saul is rejected as king, Samuel goes to Jesse and looks over his sons. God
indicates David, the youngest, is His choice as the next king over Israel. Samuel anoints
him with oil and the Spirit of the Lord comes on David from that day forward.

King David (c.1004-965 BCE) established his kingdom as a major power in the
region by successful military expeditions, including the final defeat of the Philistines, as
well as through a network of friendly alliances with nearby kingdoms. Consequently, his
authority was recognized from the borders of Egypt and the Red Sea to the banks of the
Euphrates. At home, he united the 12 Israelite tribes into one kingdom and placed his
capital, Jerusalem known as “city of David”, and the monarchy at the center of the
country's national life.

King David maintain the unification of United Kingdom of Israel and Judah. One
reason why David and his son Solomon were able to hold the two together was the fact
that David chose Jerusalem to be his capital. Jerusalem had been an independent
Canaanite city. It was located on the boundary between North and South. David
enhanced Jerusalem’s unifying role by transferring the ark of the covenant there.

After bringing the Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem, David began to think of
having a beautiful home and place that will call the house of God. He started to discern
the building of a temple for the worship of God. David’s eagerness to build the temple,
he asked the guidance of the Prophet Nathan regarding his plan. Prophet Nathan is the
confidential counselor of the king, to be consulted about serious matters to assure that
his plans are directed towards God.

The initiative of David in building the temple appeared naturally good and
prophet Nathan thought that it was right for the king to carry it into execution. However,
Nathan had not received any confirmatory message. He spoke according to what he
knows is right and not to divine revelation. But later on, God spoke to prophet Nathan
telling him to return back to the king and acknowledge his previous error. Nathan
indicated that David would not build the temple, but a son of David would accomplish
his dream and his idea of building the temple.
 King Solomon

Solomon, the son of David and Bathsheba, and the third and last king of United
Israel. He reigns for 40 years like his father. His is a golden age of monarchy with great
splendor. Solomon is known for amazing wisdom but also moral failures. He married an
Egyptian princess, probably a daughter of one of the last kings of the 21st dynasty.

For many years, Solomon’s main attention was directed toward beautification of
his capital. His father’s idea of building the temple came into existence during his time.
King Solomon is credited in the Hebrew scriptures as sponsoring, planning, funding, and
executing the building of the Temple to house the Ark of the Covenant, per the wishes of
his father, King David, and God. Solomon’s building activities in Jerusalem lasted 20
years, 7 years of which were spent in building the Temple which brought him great fame
and 7 years of erecting the palace buildings. According to the Hebrew scriptures, after
the Temple was completed, Solomon had the Ark of the Covenant finally moved from
the tent that King David had made for it and placed it in its specialized chamber on the
most western end of the Temple called, “The Holy of Holies.” Likewise, at his time King
Solomon pens several books and literary works to the Hebrew scriptures such as Book of
Proverbs, the Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes.

Along with these great accomplishments on his time, King Solomon’s cause of
downfall was also similar to the previous kings of Israel, such as, personal vanity, disloyalty
and disobedience to the will of God. Solomon slowly deprioritized his relationship and
obligations to God in order to appease his many foreign wives and in order to protect
the prosperity and longevity of his rule. Eventually, Solomon’s wives turned his heart after
other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God (1 Kings 11). Because
of the series of disobedience and disloyalty, it provoked the anger and judgement of the
Lord.

King Solomon died of natural causes in 931 BCE at the age of 80. His son,
Rehoboam, inherited the throne, which led to a civil war and the end of the United
Kingdom of Israel in in 930 BCE.
 Divided Monarchy

After the death of King Solomon, the kingdom was divided into two Kingdoms. The
Southern Kingdom consisted only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and thus became the
Kingdom of Judah. Its capital city is Jerusalem ruled by Rehoboam. The north part of the
land was called the Northern Kingdom and it consisted of the remaining tribes and was
called Kingdom of Israel. Its capital city is Samaria ruled by Jeroboam. The division of the
Kingdom leads to idolatry and wickedness. Israel and Judah's spiritual separation from
God leads to physical separation from their land in a period of foreign Exile.

Assyrian Captivity

The Assyrian captivity (or Assyrian exile) is the period in Jewish history during which
a number of Israelites of the Northern Kingdom of Israel were captives in Assyria. The
Northern Kingdom of Israel was the first of the two kingdoms (Israel and Judah) to fall,
when it was conquered by the Assyrian monarchs, Tiglath-Pileser III (Pul) and Shalmaneser
V. The later Assyrian kings Sargon II and his son and successor, Sennacherib, finished the
demise of Israel's northern ten-tribe kingdom. In 722 BC, nearly ten years after the initial
deportations, the capital city of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, Samaria, was finally taken
by Sargon II. The tribes exiled by Assyria later became known as the Ten Lost Tribes of
Israel.

The submission of the Kingdom of Israel from the hand of Assyrian led to bad
religious situation worse. According to prophet Isaiah and Micah, the land of Israel was
full of social injustice and religious practices that ran directly counter to the Sinai
covenant and to all of Israel’s traditions. In light of this situation, those who wanted the
ancient ways restored were overjoyed when the next king, Hezekiah, began his program
of reform. He attempted to supervise all worship by allowing worship only in the temple.
But this was not acceptable to the Assyrians, who themselves worshipped many gods.
Worshipping of Assyrian gods is a symbol of loyalty to the Assyrian king.
 Twenty years after the Assyrians destroyed the northern kingdom, they also
devastated some part of Judah. Though God preserved the city, Hezekiah had to submit
once again to Assyria. His son, Manasseh undid his father’s plan of reformation and return
to the old ways during his forty-five-year reign.

Eventually, two years after Manasseh’s death, he was replaced by his grandson,
Josiah, came to the throne at the age of eight. In Josiah’s time, he attempted to
reinstitute Hezekiah’s plan of reform. His reform is referred to as “Deuteronomistic Reform”
in the year 622 BCE. The reformation consisted of removing pagan altars and idols from
the temple, destroying rural sanctuaries and cults, and centralizing worship at the temple
of Jerusalem. In due course, Josiah died at the age of forty in 609 BCE.

Unsettlement Period

The Babylonian Captivity

The Babylonian captivity (or Babylonian exile) is the period in Jewish history during
which a number of Jews of the Kingdom of Judah were captives in Babylon. Babylon
captured Jerusalem and deported large numbers of the leading citizens in their city. At
the second deportation Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, pulled down the Jerusalem’s
walls and temple.

The exiles in Babylon were allowed to live as communities and to exercise a good
deal of freedom. They did not want to be absorbed by the surrounding population of
Babylon and lose their nationality as well as religious identity. During this exile, the Sinai
covenant was still effective and eventually they come to realize that to ignore the
covenant was to walk a path of death. Finding out what God’s will was and doing it
became the main concern. Judean deportees began to emphasize certain practices
that had not been very prominent in earlier times. By emphasizing these practices, it
changed Israel’s religion so much that it could now be described as “Jewish” instead of
“Israelites”.

Resettlement Period:
 Return of the Exiles to Israel

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah (one book in the Hebrew Bible) trace the story of
the return of the exiled Jewish people to the land of Israel after the 70-year exile in
Babylonia.

During their captivity in Babylon, Hebrew scribes recorded the history of their
people and their relationship with their god Yahweh. After 539 B.C.E., the Persians under
Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon. He was hailed by Second Isaiah as a deliverer
anointed by God who would rescue God’s people. A year after Cyrus took Babylon, just
about fifty years after the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, he did allow Jewish exiles to
return home and agreed to pay for the rebuilding of the Temple. The first wave who went
back to their homeland was led by Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel, together with the high priest
Joshua, finished rebuilding the temple with the help of the two prophets, Haggai and
Zechariah. The second temple was completed in 515 BC., twenty-three years after
Cyrus’s decree of offering to pay for the work.

However, there are Jews who decided not to return on their homeland but,
instead, they choose to stay from neighboring cities. Because of this reason, Jews were
divided into two: The Palestinian or Homeland Jews and the Diaspora Jews. Palestinian
or Homeland Jews are those who return back to their homeland. They are more
conservative in orientation; they worship every day in the temple and strict on their
religious practices. While Diaspora Jews are Jews who live in other cities. Unlike the
homeland Jews, they are more liberal in orientation and they return back to their
homeland once a year to worship in the temple.